New Central Airservice launches Miyakejima.

On April 2nd, New Central Airservice (CUK) launched Tokyo/Chofu (RJTF) - Miyakejima (MYE/RJTQ) intra-Tokyo island service. 19-seat Dornier Do 228s operate the route three times daily. One-way fare has been set at 17,200 JPY per person, while a round-trip ticket is sold at 31,500 JPY. As an essential air link connecting the remote island and mainland Tokyo, the service is subsidized by the Government of Tokyo.

Dornier Do 228-212 JA33CA of the Chofu-based commuter carrier. (Photo: New Central Airservice)

Timetable:
CUK401 RJTF 0915 – 1005 MYE D28 Daily
CUK405 RJTF 1110 – 1200 MYE D28 Daily
CUK407 RJTF 1440 – 1530 MYE D28 Daily
CUK402 MYE 1030 – 1120 RJTF D28 Daily
CUK406 MYE 1230 – 1320 RJTF D28 Daily
CUK408 MYE 1600 – 1650 RJTF D28 Daily

All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) withdrew from the one-time daily Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) - Miyakejima service it had been operating since 1966 this past Monday on March 31st. It was operated by ANA Wings' (EH/AKX) 56-seat Bombardier DHC-8-300Q (ANA quietly retires the Bombardier DHC-8-300Q.), which was retired on that day.

New Central Airservice's intra-Tokyo island network. (Image: New Central Airservice)

Founded in 1978 and based at Chofu, in northwestern Tokyo, New Central Airservice flies scheduled commuter flights to the Izu Islands with a fleet of five Dornier Do 228s. Kouzushima (RJAZ) has been served since 1992, Niijima (RJAN) since 1979, and Oshima (OIM/RJTO) since 1984. The company was the launch customer for the 'New Generation' Dornier Do 228NG (New Central Airservice receives 2nd Dornier 228NG.).

Source: New Central Airservice, April 2nd. (in Japanese)

ANA quietly retires the Bombardier DHC-8-300Q.

As all spotlight is on the last passenger Boeing 747 retiring from Japan, All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) also phased out its last Bombardier 'Q300' on March 31st.

Bombardier/de Havilland Canada DHC-8-315Q JA804K departs Haneda. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

DHC-8-315Q JA804K operated ANA Wings (EH/AKX) flight EH1849 (marketed as NH1849), service from Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) to Miyakejima (MYE/RJTQ), but ironically, after leaving Haneda almost three hours late at 1412, it had to return and the flight was canceled due to excessively high concentrations of sulfur dioxide on the volcanic island this day. Every person on the island is required to have a gas mask at hand at all times. The aircraft arrived back in Tokyo at 1529.

Staff pose in front of JA804K after returning to Haneda. (Photo: Aviation Wire)

JA804K is the last remaining of five originally acquired by Air Nippon Network (EH/AKX), the predecessor of ANA Wings. The first of the type was delivered in March 2001 initially to replace Air Nippon's (EL/ANK) Japan-made NAMC YS-11s flying regional routes from Haneda as well as intra-Hokkaido flights from Sapporo/Okadama (OKD/RJCO). Its inaugural flight was Haneda - Oshima (OIM/RJTO) on July 1st, 2001. JA804K was delivered on January 10th, 2003. 

JA802K 'Himawari' and JA803K 'Suzuran'. (Photo: Air Nippon Network)

Unlike most other ANA aircraft, these were delivered in flower-themed special liveries dubbed 'Flower Props'; JA801K (1st aircraft) was Tsubaki (Japanese camellia: Camellia japonica), JA802K (2nd) was Himawari (sunflower: Helianthus annuus), JA803K (3rd) was Suzuran (Lily of the Valley: Convallaria majalis), JA804K (4th) was Cosmos (cosmos: Cosmos), and JA805K (5th) was Hamanasu (Japanese rose: Rosa rugosa). All were repainted in ANA's 'Triton Blue' livery by March 2010.

3QQ3 (pronounced like 'thank you Q3' in Japanese) logo, along with Izu Oshima and Miyakejima's mascots. (Photo: Aviation Wire)

The retirement helps standardize ANA's turboprop fleet on the DHC-8-400Q. Started back on March 4th, 1966, their Miyakejima route has been flown ever since except for an eight-year suspension after the island's volcano erupted in July 2000. After resumption, load factors were around 30 - 40% and ANA decided to terminate the service effective April 1st. The Tokyo government-subsidized island link will now be taken over by New Central Airservice (CUK) on April 2nd (New Central Airservice receives 2nd Dornier 228NG.) when they launch Tokyo/Chofu (RJTF) - Miyakejima three times daily with Dornier 228s.

So, ANA is retiring its smallest (56 seats) and biggest (565 seats) airplanes on the same day.

Source: FlyTeam, March 31st. (in Japanese) 
Source: Aviation Wire, March 31st. (in Japanese)

ANA releases Summer 2014 domestic schedule.

On January 22nd, All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) announced their Summer 2014 plan for domestic flights, effective March 30th. They will be resuming Aomori (AOJ/RJSA) on July 1st after a 11-year hiatus.

Boeing 777-381 JA753A departing Haneda on another domestic trunk flight. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

New Routes/Resumptions:
Osaka/Itami (ITM/RJOO) - Aomori new 3 daily with DH4 from July 1.
NH(EH)1851 ITM 0815 - 1000 AOJ DH4 Daily *From July 1. Operated by AKX.
NH(EH)1853 ITM 1155 - 1340 AOJ DH4 Daily *From July 1. Operated by AKX.
NH(EH)1855 ITM 1910 - 2055 AOJ DH4 Daily *From July 1. Operated by AKX.
NH(EH)1852 AOJ 0805 - 1000 ITM DH4 Daily *From July 1. Operated by AKX.
NH(EH)1854 AOJ 1310 - 1505 ITM DH4 Daily *From July 1. Operated by AKX.
NH(EH)1856 AOJ 1740 - 1935 ITM DH4 Daily *From July 1. Operated by AKX.

 Sapporo/New Chitose (CTS/RJCC) - Aomori new 2 daily with DH4 from July 1.
NH(EH)1898 CTS 1150 - 1240 AOJ DH4 Daily *From July 1. Operated by AKX.
NH(EH)1900 CTS 1615 - 1705 AOJ DH4 Daily *From July 1. Operated by AKX.
NH(EH)1897 AOJ 1030 - 1120 CTS DH4 Daily *From July 1. Operated by AKX.
NH(EH)1899 AOJ 1510 - 1600 CTS  DH4 Daily *From July 1. Operated by AKX.

Frequency Increases:
Fukuoka (FUK/RJFF) - Ishigaki (ISG/ROIG) from seasonal service to 1 daily.
Fukuoka - Sendai (SDJ/RJSS) from 1 to 2 daily. *Including code-share with IBX.
Itami - Fukushima (FKS/RJSF) from 1 to 2 daily. *Including code-share with IBX.
Itami - Miyazaki (KMI/RJFM) from 5 to 6 daily. *Including code-share with IBX.
Itami - New Chitose from 1 to 3 daily. *4 daily September 1 - October 25. Including code-share with IBX.
Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) - Hakodate (HKD/RJCH)from 2 to 3 daily.
Haneda - Iwami (IWJ/RJOW) from 1 to 2 daily.
Haneda - Tottori (TTJ/RJOR) from 4 to 5 daily.

Frequency Reductions:
Fukuoka - Komatsu (KMQ/RJNK) from 4 to 3 daily. *Including code-share with IBX.
Nagoya/Chubu Centrair (NGO/RJGG) - Sendai from 5 to 4 daily. *Including code-share with IBX.
Chubu Centrair - Fukuoka from 9 to 6 daily. *Including code-share with IBX. 
Itami - Fukuoka from 10 to 8 daily. *Up to 7 daily from July 1.
Itami - Niigata (KIJ/RJSN) from 6 to 5 daily. *From July 1. Including code-share with IBX.
Itami - Oita (OIT/RJFO) from 4 to 3 daily. *Including code-share with IBX.
Itami - Sendai from 8 to 7 daily. *Up to 6 daily from July 1. Including code-share with IBX.
Osaka/Kansai (KIX/RJBB) - New Chitose from 5 to 3 daily.
Haneda - Yonago (YGJ/RJOH) from 6 to 5 daily. *For only June 1 - September 30.
New Chitose - Sendai from 5 to 4 daily. *Including code-share with IBX.

Suspensions:
Haneda - Miyakejima (MYE/RJTQ). *From April 1.
Tokyo/Narita (NRT/RJAA) - Hiroshima (HIJ/RJOA).

Not much new except for the resumption of Aomori service from July 1. Routes and frequencies are being swapped with IBEX Airlines (FW/IBX), which operates like a feeder carrier for ANA. The Miyakejima service is being transferred to New Central Airservice (CUK), allowing ANA Wings (EH/AKX) to retire its last remaining Bombardier DHC-8-300Q.

Source: All Nippon Airways (in Japanese)

New Central Airservice receives 2nd Dornier 228NG.

On January 16th, New Central Airservice's (CUK) second Dornier Do 228NG, its fifth of the type, was delivered from Germany to the airline's maintenance base at Ryugasaki Airfield (ICAO: none) in Chiba prefecture registered as D-CJAP. It will be re-registered JA35CA.

New Central Airservice's Dornier Do 228 and destinations. (Image: CUK)

New Central Airservice will use the 19-seat aircraft to launch three-times daily Tokyo/Chofu (RJTF) - Miyakejima (MYE/RJTQ) service on April 2nd, replacing ANA Wings (EH/AKX), which at the end of March will suspend its single daily Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) - Miyakejima route currently operated with its last remaining 56-seat Bombardier DHC-8-315 (300Q) JA804K. Located approximately 180km south of Tokyo and administered by the nation's capital, Miyakejima, one of the nine inhabited Izu Islands, is home to 2,580 people. The only means of transportation from the island to Tokyo is either the 50-minute flight, or a six-hour ferry ride. These essential services are subsidized by the government of Tokyo.

The airline was the launch customer for the 'New Generation' Dornier Do 228, upgraded with a glass cockpit, five-blade propeller, and longer range. It is manufactured by Swiss technology firm RUAG. Chofu Airport, located in northwestern Tokyo, is New Central Airservice's hub for its scheduled commuter flights to the Izu Islands. With its fleet of Dornier Do 228s, they currently operate to Kouzushima (RJAZ), Niijima (RJAN), and Oshima (OIM/RJTO).